Good to know they've improved their act. I bought a few items from them in the 1980s that left me dissatisfied (e.g., a duffel bag whose snap-handle broke after just a couple of trips) so I've steered clear of them ever since. It sounds like they've got better designers and better quality control now.

I TOTALLY AGREE. This company makes wonderful products. I swallowed hard and bought 3 pieces back in the early '90's. I logged many, many miles over that time, and my main bag is still running strong. Just this year the wheels have started to squeak, so I will have to get some new wheels, but the bag is still going strong. I love the whole system for packing. Everything has a place, and it's easy to pack with a minimum of issues when you arrive.
Love the products

Another vote for eagle creek-- fantastic warrantee service, exactly what you expect from a top-of-the-line bag maker.

I miss my Eagle Creek Stealth Backpack. Looked like a briefcase until I removed the backpack straps from their secret compartment and clipped the straps onto the O-rings. Like a backpack with a secret Executive Mode.

Thanks for the review, I'll have to check them out. I looked at them years ago and wasn't impressed, but it sounds like they may be worth a second look.

And I have a question about those "Pack-It Folders" and similar products: do they really work? It seems like careful packing would be just as effective without having to buy, store, and pack yet another item. Either way, the clothing gets folded up flat and compressed...?

Mike - just send your bag in and they should replace the wheels for you. I bought a Switchback Plus back in January of '98 and have sent it back twice: once because I wore the wheels out; and once because a clip broke. Both times, I only had to pay for shipping my bag to them.

c-dub: I like the Pack-It system because I can pack my workshirts in a compressed manner and they are wrinkle-free when I get to my hotel and unpack. The system also allows stuff in your bag to shift without wrinkling your clothes--even if you carefully pack your stuff, and errant toiletries bag could mess up your shirts so you might have to iron them.

Yes, I like Eagle Creek products as well.

Eagle Creek used to make good backpacker stuff, then they decided to go after the more lucrative business traveler market (higher margins, and business travelers aren't as hard on bags as adventure travelers).

They used to make really good convertible bags, but then they went stupid and decided to add wheels and handles to all their convertible backpacks, making them unusable for serious travel. I find the "pack-it folders" and "compression bags" to be inferior to 10 cent 1 gallon freezer bags (I've been using the same 4 freezer bags for 5 years!). EC does however make good toiletry bags.

Eagle Creek Travel Gear Pack-It Folder 20 Organizer is the only piece i own, but it is excellent. well-made, high quality velcro, it'll last me a lifetime.

I've had an Eagle Creek rolling bag as my primary luggage piece since 1999, and i've used it to go all over the world. The bag still works and looks great. I've treated it terribly too.

I replaced my big old clunky Samsonite with an Eagle Creek Tarmac suitcase a few years ago, and while I was at it decided to go ahead and get a few of the packing cubes and a couple folders for shirts and trousers. At the time I recall wondering if these things were a silly waste of money & I'd stop using them after a couple packs/unpacks.. Nope! The system is awesome. Everything in my suitcase has a place and I'm never digging for a pair of clean socks. Like having a mobile dresser. Plus, it's easy to know if I'm getting low on clean socks/underwear, so I know to schedule a laundry day. Have never regretted the purchase.

I'm a touring musician - airports, busses, hotels, taxis, on-off, every day for months. Good luggage makes a big difference to the day-to-day. This is good stuff.

Thanks to everyone who answered my question! I appreciate it. I wonder if I couldn't get the same benefit from some big Tyvek envelopes or something, though: I like to travel light, so I'm not particularly keen on putting that much more "stuff" in my bags.

Eagle Creek makes the best luggage I have ever owned! I have one of there rolling carry-ons, and its larger brother. I can pack easily 20% more stuff in than I can with "ordinary" cases, and the thoughtful design is just great!

I don't generally find Eagle Creek's bags are high quality. I like the Red Oxx stuff -- I think you should judge a bag on the quality of its zippers, fabric, and stitching and Red Oxx is clearly the winner on all three.

But I will agree about the Eagle Creek "Pack It" folders and cubes -- they are hugely useful, very lightweight, and durable enough to work well inside luggage. They're much better than other packing methods for dealing with airport security and quick packing/unpacking. (I wanted to like the bundle packing method, but it takes ages and it's inconvenient).

@c-dub and derrick, envelopes and freezer bags require that you slide clothes into them. That means you can only have a few clothes, and you have to put them in all at once. WIth the Eagle Creek folders, you stack the clothes on it and bring the sides up around the stack. You can easily take out or add a single piece of clothing. I'm an absolute fan of homebrew solutions, but in this case Eagle Creek has really come up with the Cool Tool.

c-dub, I think what makes the whole thing work is that the Pack-it system is a way to pack outside the bag, and then each of the cubes fits a pocket just right. So on my 22" bag, the top outside compartment is perfectly sized for my toiletry bag. The bottom outside will take a full cube perfect, so I use that for underwear, socks, etc.
Then I use a folder on the inside for pants and shirts. But that still can leave room for a sweater, shoes, etc, because everything is packed tight, and most importantly, you don't have to dig to get to something. Everything is in a easy to deal with sub-compartment. I used to travel every week, and be out 2-3 night each week, and it was sooo easy.

It's nice to see such glowing reviews. All indications are it's a terrifc product line.

Where's it made? China?

Where are they products made?

When I look at their bags on their site, one of the pics includes a "PACKING RECOMMENDATION" with a bunch of their pack-it accessories - do those accessories come with the bag?

E.g. does the following bag come with 2 folders, 3 cubes, a wallaby, etc?
http://www.eaglecreek.com/bags_luggage/wheeled_luggage/HC2-Hovercraft-Upright-28-20238/

For my money, Dakine is the way to go. They are snowboard folks and I had a backpack from them that I actually wore out.

It lasted a good 5 years and I was really hard on it. I loved is so much that I used safety pins to squeeze the 6th year out of it.

I finally broke down and bought a new one. It actually took me about a month to discover all the great hide-away pockets.

But seriously, most of my luggage comes from the trash. You would not believe what people throw away. And I don't mean moldy old skank.

Interesting review. I favor the RedOxx AirBoss http://www.redoxx.com/airline-carry-on-luggage/air-boss/91018-air%20boss/100/product with the RedOxx strpa replaced by the Tom Bihn "Absolute Shoulder Strap" http://www.tombihn.com/page/001/PROD/ACC/TB0505.

It is an unbelievably tough, flexible and comfortable carry-on comibination with tremendous capacity - and made in the USA.

Alex,
No, the packing recommendations don't come with the purchase of the bag. The main reason, is that you have to choose which options work best for you. The suggestions simply tell you what size folder, cube, or other container works best for how you travel. Sometime you need to focus on dress clothes and jackets. Sometimes its for more casual travel, but you need alot of different stuff. For example on the bag you choose, the Wallaby toiletry bag will fit just right in the top outside pocket. I use the Wallaby. You can cram stuff into that bag as you pack, and know that if it fits inside the Wallaby, it will go into that outside pocket.
Basically, you can pick a bag for what overall size you need, and then go by the packing recommendations to pick the Pack-it folders and cubes.

I have an Eagle Creek Tarmac bag which I managed to tumble down a flight of stairs, seriously twisting the handle. No sweat. I returned the bag to them and they replaced the handle and sent it back to me. At no cost to me. Mind you, this was totally my fault -- no fault of the luggage -- that it broke! THAT's good service!

And I love the cubes and envelopes. One of the cubes becomes my underwear drawer, another my sock drawer, a small one for electronic stuff and so on. When I get to a hotel, I simply transfer the cubes to the hotel dresser and I'm good to go. Repacking is a snap. I'm a fan! (And, no, I do not work for or have any affiliation with the company!)

On returns, the last time I sent a bag to them, I needed it quickly for a trip. I called to get an RMA number and explained my situation. "We'll return it to you however you ship it to us," they said. "You mean, if I overnight my bag to you, you'll overnight it back to me?" "Yes." I sent it second-day air (saving much in shipping charges) and got it back second-day, just as promised.

How often does one come across service like that?

I'm an Eagle Creek customer for life.

I too have been quite satisfied w/Eagle Creek's gear. However, one piece that does NOT work well is the garment sleeve. It simply does not prevent wrinkles in any way. The pack-it folders are OK for casual wear and your clothes won't have deep wrinkles. They won't look the same as they went in, but they will be better than if they were completely unprotected.

I've used my Eagle Creek 22" w/zip off day pack for travel regularly for the past 10 years. Never had a problem.